A Culture Divided: How Irish Americans Responded To Ireland’s Wartime Neutrality
Faculty Mentor
Allison Belzer
Location
Ogeechee Theater
Type of Research
Completed
Session Format
Oral Presentation
College
College of Arts & Humanities
Department
History
Abstract
In the Second World War, the nation of Ireland declared its neutrality and maintained it through the course of the long conflict. Meanwhile, Germany, Great Britain, and eventually the United States all competed to gain Ireland’s support in the war. However, a group that is often overlooked in this global conflict is the Irish Americans who continued to keep tabs on the affairs within their homeland. How does one respond to a nation you have a connection with staying neutral in such a deadly conflict? The answer, for Irish Americans, is that it depended on the year. Before the United States entered the war, Irish Americans firmly defended both the neutrality of their homeland, as well as their new home, as there was mutual interest in neutrality. However, following Pearl Harbor a shift occurred and the topic of neutrality faded in the priority of American patriotism. The global conflict required Irish Americans to make a choice, whether their cultural origins remained more important, or if their loyalty to their new homeland was more important. In the end, Irish Americans gained a better connection to the United States culturally that simply wouldn’t have existed without the conflict.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-21-2026 9:45 AM
End Date
4-21-2026 10:00 AM
Recommended Citation
Barron, Robert J., "A Culture Divided: How Irish Americans Responded To Ireland’s Wartime Neutrality" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 2.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026A/2026A/2
A Culture Divided: How Irish Americans Responded To Ireland’s Wartime Neutrality
Ogeechee Theater
In the Second World War, the nation of Ireland declared its neutrality and maintained it through the course of the long conflict. Meanwhile, Germany, Great Britain, and eventually the United States all competed to gain Ireland’s support in the war. However, a group that is often overlooked in this global conflict is the Irish Americans who continued to keep tabs on the affairs within their homeland. How does one respond to a nation you have a connection with staying neutral in such a deadly conflict? The answer, for Irish Americans, is that it depended on the year. Before the United States entered the war, Irish Americans firmly defended both the neutrality of their homeland, as well as their new home, as there was mutual interest in neutrality. However, following Pearl Harbor a shift occurred and the topic of neutrality faded in the priority of American patriotism. The global conflict required Irish Americans to make a choice, whether their cultural origins remained more important, or if their loyalty to their new homeland was more important. In the end, Irish Americans gained a better connection to the United States culturally that simply wouldn’t have existed without the conflict.
